Change of Heart
by Littleguinea
Summary: This is spoiler free speculation about what might occur in the first episode of the 5th series. I will probably be way off the mark, but it's a good excuse to write another DM story!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N** – Series 5 of Doc Martin is nearly upon us and whilst I haven't remained spoiler free, I can say that there are no spoilers in this story. This is just another idea of what might happen in the first episode. Thanks to Diane for her beta skills, any errors are my own from further tinkering.

**Disclaimer** – "Doc Martin" and its characters belong to Buffalo Pictures Ltd.

**Rating** – T

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><p><strong>Change of Heart<strong>

**by**

**littleguinea**

"You can go in now, Dr Ellingham," announced the rather surly nurse who passed him after slipping out of the nearby room.

"I have no idea why I had to wait outside in the first place," huffed Martin.

"Because Miss Glasson wanted you to," came the nurse's blunt reply.

Mumbling insults under his breath, he walked past the woman, giving her a disdainful look in the process. Martin opened the door to the private room and poked his head around.

"Louisa," said Martin as he took a seat at her bedside.

Louisa looked up and then quickly turned her attention back to the quiet little bundle resting in her lap.

The silence that accompanied the stony look on Louisa's face only confirmed his worse fears: that she was still cross with him.

"I don't know why you're being like this," he hissed. "I was merely pointing out a common medical condition that happens to many newborns as they pass through the birth canal."

"Martin… you really don't get it, do you?"

"What I get is the fact that you are overly emotional at the present time. A consequence, no doubt, of the exhaustion that you have suffered during the birth process."

"No, Martin. I'm not _overly emotional_," Louisa replied. She was finding it hard to engage in conversation with him and was starting to believe that it would have been better if he'd just gone to London and left her alone with her baby.

"The first thing most new parents would do is say how beautiful their baby is… but not you. You have to point out that his head is an odd shape… which it isn't, by the way."

"Yes, it is. And I explained why," Martin replied.

"But why do you have to point that out?" asked Louisa.

"Ah, so you agree with me then?" Martin replied triumphantly, the smug expression on his face further fuelling Louisa's anger.

"NO! I bloody well don't, and at least he hasn't got your flappy ears," Louisa spat in exasperation as she unsuccessfully tried to make herself seem more imposing in the hospital bed.

"As far as I'm concerned, he is perfect, Martin. I couldn't have wished for a more beautiful little boy."

Martin looked on as Louisa stroked her son's head tenderly and gazed at him like only a mother could.

He reflected on the events of the day and felt a lump in his throat as he thought how near he was to missing the birth of his son. If it hadn't been for Tommy and his stupid scheme to save on fuel bills for his taxi, there would have been no reason for him to stop at the Platt and he would have driven out of Portwenn… possibly forever.

"Well, yes, he is quite… acceptable," grunted Martin, as he shifted his chair a little closer to the side of Louisa's bed.

Louisa noticed that Martin was now staring at the little boy much in the same way as he had stared at her for so many years. She could see that his features were softening and she knew deep down that Martin was indeed proud to be a father, even though he might not say so, in so many words.

"What are you going to do now, Martin?"

"I'm sorry, I don't quite follow you."

"Well, your furniture is probably in London by now and you have given up the surgery - so, what are you going to do?" Louisa asked.

She didn't want to remind him of his earlier declaration about being wrong, _"wrong about you, wrong about everything"_ he had said. But she felt that his words had come in the heat of the moment and knowing him too well, she feared that he would probably just call her delusional and say that he had never uttered such things.

"Oh, I see. Well, I haven't really thought about it. I suppose I should probably go to London. After all, you've now had the baby and… well, you have everything organised, so you don't need me to hang around any longer than necessary."

Martin tried to convince himself that it would better for everyone concerned if he just followed through with his plans, but secretly he hoped that Louisa would ask him to stay. He'd told her that he'd made a mistake by planning to leave, but he wasn't sure that she'd actually taken any of his words in, given that she was in the throes of childbirth at the time.

"Well, it'll probably be for the best," she replied. Trying to hide her disappointment, she turned her attention once again to the little bundle in her arms.

Martin looked up from the little boy and saw that a single tear had started to trickle down Louisa's cheek. He reached for her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"Louisa, I…" Just as Martin began to speak, the door swung open abruptly and they both looked up to see the unmistakable figure of Edith Montgomery standing before them.

"I heard that your baby had been rushed in, Ellingham. I have to say, though, I'm rather surprised to see you here. I expected you'd be in London by now," Edith stated, with all the warmth of a rattlesnake.

"Err, I… that is, we…" Martin stuttered as he gestured towards Louisa.

"What Martin is trying to say is that I asked him to accompany me and OUR baby to the hospital," Louisa answered for them both.

Edith peered over at the little boy after totally ignoring Louisa's words. "Hmm, it is rather small, as we expected and I see its head is a little elongated; the skull has become compressed in the birth can…"

Martin cleared his throat, loudly. He could sense Louisa's irritation; it wasn't difficult, as she had tightened the grip she had on his hand until it became vice-like. Edith glared at him rather surprised by his interruption.

"Louisa and I are very pleased by the arrival of our son," said Martin, nodding as he moved to sit beside Louisa on the edge of the bed and put a protective arm around her and the little boy as if to keep them safe from Edith's clutches.

Walking towards the door, disgusted at the scene that she saw before her, Edith turned and looked directly at Martin, ignoring Louisa once more. "So, Ellingham, I'll see you at Imperial. I'll be over in London next week and we can catch up then."

"Not if I can help it," Martin mumbled, so that only Louisa could hear him. She looked at him quite taken aback by his obvious dislike of the prickly woman who had once again turned to make her way out of the door.

"Actually, Martin has decided to stay in Portwenn for a while," Louisa blurted out the words without really thinking.

Martin's head snapped around and he looked at Louisa.

"I have? - err. I mean, yes, I have. Obviously I'll contact Imperial and let them know that my arrival will have to be postponed."

"Well, don't leave it too long, Ellingham. Superb surgeon you may be, but there are plenty more like you out there. They won't hold the job open for you indefinitely."

And with a click of her heels, she turned for a final time and slammed the door behind her as she left.

"That woman will not take no for an answer," groaned Martin.

"What do you mean?"

"Oh - err, no… nothing. I'll tell you another time."

Louisa looked at Martin suspiciously as the colour began to rise in his cheeks. She'd always suspected that he and Edith had rekindled their romance, although she'd hoped she was wrong. Perhaps her gut instincts had been right all along.

Seeing Martin's discomfort, she decided not to pursue the matter. There would be plenty of time for that later… hopefully.

After a companionable silence, where Martin remained with his arm around Louisa, he finally plucked up the courage to speak.

"What you said to Edith, is that what you want me to do?"

"Oh, that. I just didn't want her to think that you were here out of some misguided sense of duty. I wanted her to think that we were both happy about this," she said, as she slightly raised the baby from her lap. "And… I was jealous of her. Always have been if I'm being honest. Ever since I saw her with you that first night I was back in the village."

"You didn't need to be jealous of Edith. Any feelings I had for her died… a long time ago."

"That's not how it appeared, Martin. She was always around, even when I needed to talk to you about the baby. I felt very self-conscious around her."

"Why… I don't understand?"

"Oh, Martin, can't you see how alike you and she are. She was far more suited to you than I could ever be. And I thought you'd moved on, forgotten about what we had. If I'm being truthful, my hopes were dashed."

"What, you mean that you hoped we might get back together?"

"Yes, I suppose I did. But all that changed when I saw her."

Martin shifted now so that he was facing Louisa. He took hold of her hand once again.

"You need never be worried about Edith. She can never, ever come close to the way I felt… I mean, feel about you. I really don't want to talk about her because she brings back unpleasant memories for me. I once thought that I loved her, but I only realised once I met you, that I'd never really known love before."

Martin leaned forward and cupped the side of Louisa's face in the palm of his hand. He kissed her softly on the lips before bending further down and placing a gentle kiss on his son's forehead.

"Do you want to stay in Portwenn?" asked Louisa, hopefully.

"I will have to contact Imperial and see how they are about me not taking up my post straight away. But, I can't lie to you Louisa; the thought of returning to surgery does appeal to me, very much actually."

"What about your blood phobia?"

"Well, apart from the odd set-back or two, I think I have it under control."

"It didn't look that way earlier."

"Like I said, there's bound to be the odd hiccup."

"So, you won't stay in Portwenn indefinitely?"

"I think my relationship with the villagers has… run its course, shall we say."

"And what about our relationship. Martin? Has that _run its course_?"

Martin wasn't prepared for Louisa's blunt words. He hadn't even thought about them being in a relationship for the past eight months so how was he supposed to react now that she was implying that there could be something between them once again.

"I don't know, Louisa. Perhaps it has. I would always be there for anything that you or the baby needed. But I really think that in the long term, you'd be better off without me."

Martin stood and moved away from the bed now.

"Maybe you should let me decide what's best for me," Louisa declared.

He turned and looked at Louisa. He couldn't deny his feelings for her. They were still there, stronger now than they ever were. Seeing her there, the mother of his child, knowing that she still cared for him and would even be prepared to try and give their relationship another try was heartbreaking.

In the past few months he'd made so many major decisions in his life that he wasn't sure that he could stop the wheels from turning. It almost seemed like he had finally got his life back when he gained a modicum of control over his blood phobia. And if there was no position for him in Portwenn, then he really didn't think that he would be able to suffer the inane comments of the villagers, day in day out. At least when he was their doctor, he did feel certain dominance over them.

"Well, I better go and make some phone calls and see if I can stay with Aunty Joan for the time being." Martin stepped back towards the bed and bent down to kiss Louisa on the cheek before heading towards the door.

"You could stay at my cottage… if you want, that is." The words came out of Louisa's mouth like a runaway train. She was mindful of the fact that she had nearly watched Martin walk away earlier in the day and she was determined that it wasn't going to happen again. She knew he was difficult, that things wouldn't be smooth sailing for them, but she also knew that she wanted to give it a go, if not for herself, at least for the sake of their child.

"Erm, I think it'd probably be best if I stay with Joan. Of course if there's anything that you want me to do at the cottage before you come home, then I'd be happy to help out."

Louisa nodded, "Thank you, Martin. That's kind. We can talk about it tomorrow."

"Hopefully they might let you come home tomorrow afternoon, so if you think of anything in the meantime, just call me."

"Thank you, Martin."

"Mmm, you're welcome. Bye, Louisa."

The door closed behind him.

"Bye, Martin," sighed Louisa, as she brought the little baby up onto her chest and gave him a much needed cuddle.

_To be continued…_


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N** – Thank you for the lovely reviews. I was very pleasantly surprised that the first chapter went down so well, I thought it might have been a bit boring to be honest, but there you go!

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><p><strong>Change of Heart<strong>

**Chapter 2**

"Martin, it's Louisa." He was just walking past his aunt's chicken coup towards his car when he eagerly took her call.

"Oh, hello. I was just about to set off to the hospital and see you actually," replied Martin, as he held his mobile in one hand whilst opening the door of the Lexus with his other.

"The doctor has just done his rounds and checked us both over and he says that we can come home this afternoon."

Martin could hear the smile on Louisa's lips as she spoke to him. She was obviously very excited about the prospect of bringing her baby home and finally starting the job of being a mother.

He felt a pang of jealousy, as he knew that the likelihood was that he wouldn't be around all that long and that he would miss out on a lot of the milestones that their baby would reach. He would also miss Louisa's reactions, as she would proudly observe their son taking his first steps and uttering his first word.

He'd stayed at his aunt's farm the previous night, but now that she was running a B&B, she just didn't have the room to accommodate him. He remembered Louisa's offer that he could stay at her cottage and part of him regretted the fact that he had turned her down so quickly. The other part of him, however, was far more realistic and knew that if he did stay with Louisa, then when the time came for him to move on, it would be extremely difficult for both of them.

"Martin, Martin, are you still there?"

"Yes, sorry, erm… so, do you know what time you can leave? Shall I come and pick you up?"

"Well, I have to wait for some medication, so that could take ages and actually, I wondered if there were a few things you could get for me and take them to the cottage? I have most things, but there are some essentials that I could do with that I didn't get time to sort out before. Everything came as a bit of shock yesterday," explained Louisa.

"Yes, of course. Just let me get a piece of paper and a pen," he said, as he leant across the passenger seat and started to rummage around in the glove compartment.

Martin wrote down the list of "essentials" that Louisa had requested and found that it was more than just a "few things" that she required.

Most of them he would have to get from Mrs Tishell's pharmacy. He didn't relish seeing her again one little bit. His last encounter with her had been a terrifying experience. As if the bright yellow jumper with "Martin" written across it hadn't been hideous enough, then she'd pounced on him and planted a most unwelcomed kiss on his lips. He knew that she was a strange woman, but on the whole she'd been adequate in her job as pharmacist. Now, though, he had seen her in a totally different light.

"You don't mind do you, Martin? It'd be a real help."

"Err, no. That'll be fine," he replied through gritted teeth. He didn't want to further annoy Louisa. He thought that perhaps she had just about forgiven him over his remarks about the baby's head, so any views he had about the number of things on his list he thought best to keep to himself.

"If you could just leave them in the cottage and I'll sort everything out when I get back."

"Erm, how am I going to be able to leave them in the cottage? I don't have a key and I'm not prepared to break in. Maybe I could just bring them with me?" he suggested.

"Oh, it's okay, you'll find a spare key under the plant pot beside the door."

Martin wasn't sure he had heard Louisa correctly at first. She couldn't possibly have said that she left a key in the open, just outside the door… could she?

"Louisa. I cannot believe that you could be so idiotic and foolish. That is the first place any opportunistic thief would look. I would have thought being a headmistress you would have far more sense than that. Must be the pregnancy that has affected your judgement. There are actually a few studies that…"

Louisa cut him off abruptly, "Shut up, Martin. I don't need to know. Now maybe you better_ pop_ off and get me my things, hmm?"

"Um, yes - alright. I'll see you this afternoon then; I'll come at 2 o'clock. If you need me any earlier then, just call. "

"That'll be fine, Martin. Bye."

"Bye."

Louisa replaced the phone and looked over to the little boy, who was lying quite happily in the clear plastic cot beside the bed.

She reached over and drew the blanket back so that she could better see his face.

"Your Daddy. When will he ever learn?"

~x~

Martin stood beside the Slipway Hotel, trying to look inconspicuous. He was waiting to go into the pharmacy but wanted to make sure that he wouldn't be alone in there with Mrs Tishell. It was going to take some nifty footwork to ensure that he made it into the shop so that there would be at least one other customer behind him.

Finally, his chance came as he saw Bert shuffling slowly towards the door. Martin knew that if he set off at a reasonably brisk pace, he would be able to easily reach the door before the rather portly restaurateur managed to get there.

Having succeeded in his plan, he opened the door and stepped purposefully into the shop.

"Oh, Dr Ellingham. What a lovely surprise this is," purred Mrs Tishell. "I'd heard that you were still in the village, but I thought you'd be far too busy to come and pay me a visit."

Bert followed close behind Martin, much to his relief. Martin was astounded that the woman was acting as if nothing had happened. As if assaulting the local GP was a day-to-day occurrence.

"You're in a bit of a rush, Doc, aren't you?" chuckled, Bert. And seeing the extensive list that Martin held in his hand, he added, "My, my, I see Louisa's got you licked into shape already. If you don't mind me sayin', I think it's admirable that you've finally decided to take responsibility for getting 'er up the duff."

"Not that it's any of your business…" growled Martin, as he looked uncomfortably over towards Mrs Tishell, who appeared to be trying to busy herself now on the far side of the shop whilst still catching the conversation that the two men were having.

"… but I have decided to remain in Portwenn until Louisa is settled back into her home."

"Quite right too. I knew you'd do the right thing, said it to Al. I said - the Doc, he knows what's right and wrong, he won't just get Louisa knocked up and run off back to London, especially now the baby's arrived."

By this time several more villagers had entered the pharmacy after seeing Martin go in, and he knew that they would be more than happy to add their own opinions.

"Ahem - well, thank you, Bert. If you've quite finished discussing me in front of…" Martin glanced around and couldn't help but curl the side of his lip when he spotted a number of villagers that he knew were only there to hear gossip about Louisa and the baby, "… these _people_. I actually have things to do."

Martin thrust the list into Mrs Tishell's hand.

"If you could get these ready for me, I'll call and get them a little later on."

"Certainly, Mar… err I mean Doctor. Maybe when you call back we could have a little chat over some tea and a ginger nob," Mrs Tishell raised her eyebrows expectantly. "There was an article I saw that I was going to keep to discuss with the new doctor, but as you're here…"

"Sorry, have to go, lots to do," stuttered Martin, as he decided to make his escape whilst there was nothing that the mad pharmacist could do to stop him.

~x~

He would have much preferred it if he could have waited for the items at Mrs Tishell's, but there was no way that he was going to stand around and be the topic of conversation. He would just have to wait until she had a few more customers later on before he went to pick them up.

As he had some time to kill before collecting Louisa and the baby, he decided to call in at her cottage and check to see if everything was okay. He imagined there might be some cleaning he could do in preparation for her return home.

He passed White Rose Cottage and glanced briefly through the window. It held mixed memories for him. It was where they had had broken up, where he had proposed and of course where they had consummated their engagement, and likely the place where their baby boy had been conceived.

Martin desperately wished that she were still living there, instead of the flea-ridden cottage that used to be Mr Routledge's. The place was a haven for bacteria and germs, and so Martin decided that he would at least give the kitchen a good clean.

As he retrieved the spare key from the flower pot beside the door, just where Louisa said it would be, he inwardly scolded her again.

He was just about to step through the front door when he heard a frantic shout coming from somewhere further up, along the coastal path.

"Doc Martin, please Doc, wait."

As he looked round, he saw one of the irritating young girls who collectively had been the bain of his existence in Portwenn running frantically towards him.

"Doc… Doc. Oh thank God. It's Cheryl, I think she's gone and done something daft," gasped the terrified girl.

"Erm, well I'm no longer the GP here, so you should go and get the new one or if it's very serious, you should call an ambulance."

"Please Doc, she's in a bad way," pleaded the young girl.

Oh… alright," Martin sighed and then headed towards the car to retrieve his bag. Hopefully he could deal with the problem, which he felt sure would amount to a minor incident at most and then have enough time to go back to Louisa's, do his tidying up and then collect the items from Mrs Tishell.

"Right, lead the way," he snapped.

When they got there, PC Penhale had already arrived and was flapping around trying to look officious.

"Ah, Doc. I've got the situation under control, ambulance on its way; really no need for you to be bothered with this."

"I think you should let me be the judge of that, hmm?" Martin answered bluntly as he peered over the wall towards the stricken teenager below.

"Under control? You call that under control. She's quite obviously in a great deal of distress. She has a broken ankle, which even a moron like you should be able to see, and quite possibly nerve or blood vessel damage. How long until the ambulance arrives?"

"Erm, oh, not sure Doc. Shall I check?"

"Well that would be a good idea, wouldn't it?" spat Martin, sarcastically.

As Penhale went off to use his radio, Martin cornered the nearest girl to find out exactly what had happened. Much to his disgust, he discovered that Cheryl, who had been drinking for most of the morning, had decided to do a balancing act along the sea wall. She had lost her footing and fallen, landing awkwardly about twenty feet below.

Martin assessed the situation as PC Penhale returned once more to say that the ambulance would take about 45 minutes to come from Truro but that a fast response paramedic should be there in about 15 minutes.

"That's too long. I need to get down there and check the tibial posterior point. If she has no pulse, then I'll have to try and manipulate her ankle."

Penhale tentatively peered over the wall. "It's a long way down Doc. Maybe you should wait."

"Well, you can explain to her mother in the hospital why her teenage daughter has had to have her foot amputated then," barked Martin. "Now if you haven't got anything more constructive to say, just get out of the way."

Martin started to clamber over the wall and held on tightly to the other side. He eased himself down, trying to navigate the safest path to the girl below. Thankfully, the place where she had fallen had several good ledges where he could step onto.

After a few minutes he was safely down and set about assessing her condition. He checked her pulse and did indeed find it to be non-existent; he knew instantly that the positions of the bones in her ankle were compromising the flow of blood, as her foot was icy cold.

He quickly administered some morphine and then slowly manipulated her ankle so that the bones were correctly aligned. He then secured the ankle as best he could with what he had available in his bag and waited with the girl until the paramedic arrived.

~x~

"Thanks Doc," said one of the girls, as he brushed himself down after managing to get back up the slope.

"Hmm, next time make sure your stupid friend doesn't drink too much. That way she might realise that walking along a sea wall isn't the most intelligent of ideas."

As he walked away, he glanced back to see Penhale taking charge of the rescue team as they attempted to get the girl safely back up.

Looking at his watch, he saw that it was already nearly 2pm. The incident on the coastal path had taken much longer than he expected. He sighed as he realised that it would be nearer 3 o'clock by the time he got to the hospital, as he still needed to pick up Louisa's shopping from Mrs Tishell.

He rushed to the Lexus and headed down towards the pharmacy. After abandoning his car and causing a hold up near the lifeboat station, he gave Mrs Tishell short shrift and then caused further uproar by reversing erratically down the platt and nearly running over a handful of fishermen in the process.

"Bloody tosser. I thought we'd got rid of 'im," shouted one of the men in Martin's direction.

"He's like a bad penny that one." The men laughed as they returned to their work.

After leaving the purchases at Louisa's, he got back into the car and was just about to set off when he felt his phone vibrate in his jacket pocket. He looked at the display and found without much surprise that it was Louisa. After glancing at his watch, which showed the time to be 2.15pm, he hit the accept button and braced himself for an onslaught.

_To be continued…_


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N** – Okay, this is where things are no longer how I think the first episode will be, because I don't think Edith (if she even were to be in it at all) would feature so prominently. Basically, I just decided to have a bit of fun! Thanks to Gill for her advice and Diane for being a wonderful beta.

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><p><strong>Change of Heart<strong>

**Chapter 3**

"Look, before you say it, I'm sorry that I didn't make it to the hospital on time. But there was an emergency and I…"

"No, no Martin, I'm not ringing about that, it's… it's Edith," Louisa sobbed.

"What's Edith? Louisa, you aren't making any sense."

"She says that we can't leave the hospital yet." The desperation was now evident in Louisa's voice.

"But she has no jurisdiction over the Maternity Unit, so why is she saying you can't come home?"

"She says that I signed a consent form, when she discovered that the baby was SGA, agreeing to certain tests being carried out straight after he was born. It means that we can't come home today."

"Rubbish. I'm on my way to the hospital now. Whatever you do, don't speak to Edith or sign any forms she might try and thrust onto you. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Martin. Don't worry, I won't be going anywhere near that woman. Please hurry, Martin."

Knowing Edith, Martin was concerned about what she might do; he also knew that it would take him at least 30 minutes to get to the hospital. That was without any delays. Suddenly he had an idea. He walked back along the coastal path to see if Penhale was still there. As luck would have it, he was. He was just walking back towards the road where he'd parked his Land Rover.

Penhale owed Martin a few favours after everything he'd done to help the man with his various phobias. And he thought that now was the time to call them in.

"I'm glad I caught you," said Martin.

"Ah Doc, checking up on me are you, seeing if everything's been carried out to your specifications. Can't blame you there; you and me, like peas in a pod, professionals through and…"

"Shut up. I need you to help me," barked Martin.

"Oh, right. Another emergency is it. Someone in peril, someone to apprehend or another medical incident that calls for the dynamic duo to spring into action once a…"

"Penhale. Will you please stop your inane ramblings? Something important has cropped up at the hospital and I need to get there as soon as possible. I want you to escort me. Clear the way, so to speak."

"No problem. I'm your man. Follow me."

~x~

Dashing towards the Maternity Unit, Martin just hoped that he had got there in time before Edith had the chance to irritate Louisa any further.

Opening the door to Room 2A, he was relieved to see that Louisa was still there.

"Martin, thank God you're here," sighed Louisa, obviously grateful that she wouldn't have to tackle Edith on her own.

"She says that I agreed to take part in some medical research, something about investigating the accuracy of data gathered about foetuses considered to be SGA."

"Rubbish," Martin shouted.

"Oh, I should have known you'd take her side." Louisa was disgusted that he would defend Edith after everything he had said about her.

"No, not you. I mean that's a load of old rubbish that she's spouting. She's done this before. After we had first qualified, she set up some bogus trial, got people to participate using back-handed means. Said she was trying to advance medical science. Of course, back then I was in awe of her, but it wasn't long before I realised that the only thing she wanted to advance was her career."

"Sorry, Martin. I'm just a bit on edge about all this. So, what happened with her trial back then?"

"No, no, of course. It's alright. Erm, basically she had to find another position, hence her move to Canada. She told me that she had been head-hunted for a prestigious post abroad. Of course what I was to discover later was that she had been pushed. Had to get out before they booted her out. Just recently I also discovered that she is still as slap dash with her methods as she always was," sighed Martin.

So, what can we do about it? She is adamant that I signed some agreement, athough I really can't recall it," explained Louisa.

"Don't worry, I'll go and see her. I'll have this sorted out in an instant. As far as you are concerned, you've been given the all clear to go home with the baby, am I right?"

"Yes, that's what I was told by the paediatrician."

"Good. Get yourself ready. I'll be back as soon as I can, to take you home." Martin stormed out of the room and headed towards Edith's office.

~x~

"What the bloody hell do you think you are doing," boomed Martin as he entered Edith's lair.

She glanced in his direction. A picture of composure, she looked him up and down before uttering,

"Ellingham. I didn't think it would be long before you would appear. Louisa's knight in shining armour. It's pathetic really; she has you wrapped around her little finger and you can't even see it." Sarcasm oozed from her lips.

"Bollocks, Louisa isn't like that."

"She's manipulative, scheming. How do think you've ended up in this position, hmm. The father to a village girl's baby. Can't you see that you are ruining your life, Ellingham? "

"So this 'trial' that you say Louisa agreed to, it was all a ploy just to keep her in hospital a little longer so that I would have no choice but to return to London, is that it?"

"Well, there was that, but then I wouldn't have been able to keep her here for long enough. But I did know that it would bring you running. So it worked anyway, didn't it," Edith proclaimed, triumphantly.

"Bravo to you! So I'm here, what are you going to do, hmm, abduct me? I'd like to see you try," Martin sneered.

"No, I just wanted to see you again. Try and knock some sense into you. Make you realise what a catastrophic mistake you'd be making by remaining in Portwenn."

"You lost the right to meddle into my affairs over twenty years ago. If you carry on like this, Edith, then I will make sure that you are discredited, once and for all. You are a charlatan that has no consideration for anyone or anything," spat Martin vehemently.

"I will be doing everything within my power to support Louisa and our baby and if that means giving up the post at Imperial… well, then it is something that I will have to consider very seriously."

"Why on earth would you want to be tied to that girl for the rest of your life? I just don't understand what you see in her. She is certainly far from being your intellectual equal; for goodness sake she barely knows her left from her right."

"Oh, now you're being ludicrous. You seriously underestimate Louisa. She is a Head Teacher. And she has more compassion in her little finger than you have in your whole body. She takes pride in her job. Something you would do well to consider. And she is continually giving to the community. She is warm and… and helpful, full of life. Intelligent, witty and beautiful, I… I care a great deal about her."

"You can't even say the word can you, Ellingham? You used to tell me that you loved me all the time. Do you remember? You wrote me poetry. God, you even serenaded me once, but you can't even say that you love Louisa… what does that tell you?"

"It tells me that you tainted my life. You showed me a false love, one that I thought would always hurt me, but now that I've met Louisa, I know differently. I never loved you, Edith, and you did me the biggest favour you ever could by leaving to go to Canada. If I'm going to say that I love her, then I will say it to Louisa. Not here, to you." Martin glanced over to where Edith had turned from him towards the window.

She no longer looked the formidable figure that she once did. Instead she appeared defeated, finally having accepted that there was no future for her with him.

"There's no consent form is there?" asked Martin, waiting for the confirmation that it was all just an elaborate plan to ensnare him.

"No, no consent form. She's free to leave whenever she likes," confirmed Edith, wearily.

"Goodbye, Edith. I trust we won't be meeting again."

And with that Martin left the office, leaving Edith alone to lick her wounds.

~x~

Louisa was ready to leave. She'd packed the few things that she had together and had strapped the little boy into a baby carrier that she was loaning from the hospital. He had arrived so unexpectedly that she hadn't yet got round to sorting out a pram or travel system.

As Martin entered the room, once more she felt a wave of relief flow over her.

"Martin, is everything alright?"

"Perfectly, yes. Now then, I see you are both ready to leave, so shall we go?"

"Yes, of course." Louisa leant up and kissed Martin on the cheek. As she turned away to pick up the baby carrier, he gently held her left hand and pulled her round to face him again.

"Louisa, I… what I mean to say is…"

There was a crash against the door and the trolley laden with newspapers and sweets made its entrance into the room, followed by a cheery little woman.

"Oh – sorry, dear. I see you're off, are you? Want to buy anything for your journey?" asked the pleasant lady.

"Err, no, thanks I'll be fine," answered Louisa.

"Right you are then. Take care, my dear."

"Sorry, Martin. What were you saying?"

"Um, oh… it doesn't matter. Not that important really," and with flushed cheeks, Martin reached over to grab the only bag that Louisa had in one hand and the baby carrier in the other.

"Shall we go?" he asked, gesturing for her to go first.

"Yes. Take me home, Martin."

_To be continued_…


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N - **This chapter was written before the Series 5 Press pack was released, therefore any similarities that there may be between scenes are purely coincidental.

Thanks again go to Diane for her super work even though I know she's extremely busy right now. Any mistakes are my own!

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><p><strong>Change of Heart<strong>

**Chapter 4**

"Well, here we are little one, this is your new home," Louisa whispered as she carried her newborn baby in her arms, through the door of the cottage.

"Hmm, more's the pity," mumbled Martin, placing the bag and baby carrier down on the floor.

"Sorry, Martin, what was that?" Louisa asked, as she sat down with a sigh and took the weight off her extremely sore feet.

"I just don't understand why you wanted to move into this hovel. It's… it's… well it's just so disgustingly horrid," he grumbled.

"I didn't have a lot of choice Martin. And I have actually done an awful lot of work here you know."

"Yes, I suppose it is better than it was," Martin reluctantly agreed as he looked around the room.

The baby started to make grumbling noises and so Louisa lifted her top and began to position the baby in preparation for a feed.

Martin suddenly realised what Louisa was doing and quickly looked away.

"Oh, um, maybe I… err, should I… perhaps I'll go for a walk," he stuttered nervously as he pointed towards the door.

"Don't be stupid, Martin. I'm only feeding the baby. And it's not like you haven't seen them before, is it?" she said shaking her head.

"Err, no, I um, suppose you're right." But he still couldn't bring himself to look Louisa in the eye so he decided to unpack the things that he'd got from Mrs Tishell's in order to keep himself busy.

"I see you managed to get my things then?" Louisa asked, trying to lighten the atmosphere and make polite conversation. "You'll have to tell me how much I owe you; I bet it all mounted up."

"Yes, it did come to a decent amount. But you don't need to pay me for them."

"Of course I do, Martin. They're my things so I should pay for them."

"They are for our baby, on the whole, and I'd like to buy them, if you'd let me," said Martin genuinely.

"Thank you, Martin."

"After you've fed the baby I'll run you a bath. I got you some lavender oil to put in the bath water."

"Oh Martin, that's so thoughtful of you. I've heard that it can really help to heal things… you know," Louisa looked downwards towards her lap, "down below."

"Well, as a matter of fact, a large clinical trial found that lavender oil added to a bath was no more effective than a placebo for relieving perineal discomfort immediately after…"

"Martin!"

"Oh, sorry. Well, in any case, it should help to make you feel a little more relaxed, if nothing else," Martin turned back to the bag of baby things and then under his breath he continued, "You certainly seem to need it."

"I'll just take these things upstairs and start to run your bath… if that's okay?"

"Of course. Thank you, Martin. Oh, would you mind bringing the Moses basket down that's beside the bed in my room?"

"Yes, of course. I'll get it now." And with that, Martin strode up the staircase two steps at a time.

~x~

Louisa looked down at her son who was starting to look sleepy. He was no longer feeding with as much gusto, so she decided that he'd probably had enough.

"Well, your daddy certainly seems to be making an effort doesn't he? Hmmm, what do you think… should we ask him if he wants to stay again? I mean, in the spare room of course. I wouldn't expect him to want to stay with us, in my room. But it might be nice if he was with us for a few days."

Her baby son was now making contented little noises, so she gently lifted him and placed him on her shoulder. She stood and walked towards the window with him, gently rubbing his back as she rocked him from side to side.

~x~

Martin opened Louisa's bedroom door and looked around for the basket. He spotted it at the far side of her bed. The room was small and he noticed that she had the same red sheets on her bed as she had done the day that he'd proposed to her. Even though the room was filled with her things it wasn't as cozy as her bedroom in White Rose Cottage. He remembered how he'd felt so warm and comforted when he'd stayed with her there. He gathered up the basket and left the room before his memories overwhelmed him.

Louisa heard him coming down the stairs and he placed the basket on the sofa next to where she was standing. She put the baby into the basket and carefully tucked him in.

"Your bath will be ready soon. I'll look after the baby while you have a soak and I'll make something for you to eat," he said.

"Oh, err, maybe I'll take him with me, you know, just in case," Louisa replied nervously. Although she had every confidence in Martin's ability as a GP, she really didn't know just yet how he would cope with a wailing baby.

She saw Martin's face drop and in order to minimize the hurt she might cause to his feelings she added, "Over-protective mother syndrome! I just want him with me all the time at the moment, you don't mind do you?"

"No, no. Of course not." Martin was in fact rather relieved. He didn't relish the thought of having to deal with the baby, particularly if it needed a nappy change. He knew that he would eventually have to deal with these things if he was to have any sort of relationship with his son, but if he could avoid it, then he would do for the moment.

After carrying the baby upstairs for Louisa he came back down and busied himself preparing a nutritious meal with high iron content. Suddenly, he heard a number of banging noises coming from upstairs. He cautiously went up a couple of steps and listened quietly.

Still he heard noises coming from the bathroom. Concerned about Louisa's welfare he made his way up and stood outside the bathroom door.

"Louisa, is everything alright?"

"Yes… err, no not really. I seem to have got myself stuck. I'm lying in the bath and my tummy muscles are so sore and they feel really funny when I try and sit up. I daren't do it Martin. I've been trying to pull myself up but I can't."

Louisa was by now sounding a little scared and so Martin decided that he'd have to offer to help her.

"Louisa, don't be worried, it's quite normal for your stomach muscles to feel that way. Would you like me to come and help you?"

"Yes, Martin, please."

Martin opened the bathroom door and saw Louisa lying in the bath looking very red in the face and rather exhausted. He was relieved to note that she had added a bubble bath as well as the lavender that he already put in and so she was completely covered in bubbles.

It's not that he wouldn't have loved to see her naked, but rather that he would have liked it a little_ too_ much and he felt disgusted with himself about that. But most of all he really didn't want her to feel uncomfortable.

He gently reached behind her and lifted her under her arms until she was in a sitting position again. She automatically covered herself, even though she knew that Martin had seen it all before, but somehow she felt weak and vulnerable.

Martin realised that he had been staring at Louisa for a little longer than he should have been and so he shook his head as if to reprimand himself and asked "Are you alright now? I mean… I should go and finish off preparing your dinner."

"Stay for a minute will you?" she asked tentatively.

Martin settled himself on the floor behind Louisa. She continued to hug herself whilst rocking slightly back and forwards.

"Are you cold, Louisa? You look cold," he asked.

"A little, I suppose," she answered feebly. "I think it's all just dawned on me now that I have to look after that precious little thing over there, and I'm not sure that I can do it, Martin."

"Shush… you know that's not true."

Martin found a sponge at the side of the bath and he dunked it into the water. With his other hand he carefully swept Louisa's hair over her shoulder, and then he gently squeezed the sponge against her neck so that the warm water ran down between her shoulder blades.

As the warmth started to envelope her body she relaxed into Martin's touch. Her head tipped back and she sighed as he continued to let the soothing water trickle down her back.

Slowly he began to sweep the sponge across her shoulder blades and gradually down below the level of the water to the small of her back. As he trailed the sponge upwards once more he allowed his fingers to touch her skin. Gently he massaged her until the sponge fell back into the water and then it was only his hand that was caressing her.

The sound of her appreciative purrs made him stop dead in his tracks. He hadn't anticipated being in this sort of position with her and he felt very guilty even though he knew that Louisa was enjoying their closeness.

"Erm… I should really go and sort out dinner," he stuttered, as he stood up and reached for a towel. He dried his hands and then passed another towel to Louisa.

"It'll only be a few minutes more. I'll take the baby down stairs with me and you can get dressed and come down when you're ready."

Louisa turned as he lifted up the basket and abruptly left the room. She'd felt an unmistakable spark between them once again and she knew that Martin must have been aware of it too. Whenever he managed to leave his socially-inept self behind he could be a deeply compassionate man. If only he had been able to relax more when they had been together, maybe then they would have had a chance. Oh how things could have been so different for them.

As she dried herself and went into her bedroom to change into some loose comfortable clothing, she decided that she _would_ ask him to stay with her, at least until he had made up his mind about what he was going to do about Imperial. She would persuade him by saying that it was for the sake of the baby, but if she were being truthful it was as much about what _she_ wanted and needed, as it was about the baby. And maybe, just maybe, if he spent some quality time with them, his decision about whether to leave for London or not, might not be that difficult a one.

~x~

Martin laid the table carefully. He'd popped out into the garden and found a lovely pink rose which he snipped off and brought back into the cottage.

He couldn't find a small enough vase, so he got a tumbler out of the kitchen cupboard and filled it with water before placing the rose in and putting it in the middle of the table. He'd laid a place setting for one and now served up Louisa's meal. He had heard her in her bedroom, so he knew that she would shortly be coming down the stairs.

His mind was in turmoil. He wanted to spend time with her and the baby, but he was worried about the feelings that he had felt stirring within him as he'd touched the soft milky white skin of her back. And he felt deeply embarrassed about the fact that he might have offended Louisa by his presumptuous actions. He loved her perhaps more now than he had ever done and he knew that if he stayed with her, he would eventually want more than she was prepared to give him. He couldn't expect her to give him any more chances and she'd made herself perfectly clear during the pregnancy that she didn't want him involved. He didn't dare imagine that she might have changed her mind. If he got his hopes up only for them to be dashed, he felt like it might be the end of him.

"Martin, there's something I want to ask you," Louisa shouted, as she closed her bedroom door and started to make her way down the stairs.

Martin panicked as he heard her voice. He quickly glanced at the baby to check that he was alright, adjusted the rose in the glass one last time and then grabbed his car keys and opened the cottage door.

Just as Louisa turned from the bottom step, she saw the door close behind him.

"Martin!" she shouted, but if he had been aware of her, he didn't reply. She heard the car engine and then the crunch of stones under the wheels as Martin pulled away from the cottage.

She opened the cottage door and all she saw were his break lights as he slowly made his way up the hill and out of the village. Sadly, she closed the door and walked into the kitchen. She saw the beautifully laid out table and the dainty pink rose.

As she picked it out of the glass, she held it to her nose. It had a beautiful fragrance. Why was Martin Ellingham such an enigma? She'd thought that perhaps they might have been able to talk a little, sort things out. Instead he'd distanced himself from her, like he'd done so many times before.

Maybe there was no hope of them ever being able to get along, to live together as a couple. Maybe they were just too different.

Louisa checked on the baby, who was sleeping soundly, and then reluctantly she sat down at the table for her lonely meal.

~x~

He thought he'd heard her as he left the cottage, but he didn't dare look round in case his resolve faltered. She was better off without him. All of his doubts about whether he'd ever make her happy came flooding back to him. How could he possibly prove to be a good father either? He'd had no real parenting role models, apart from Aunty Joan and Uncle Phil, but his memories of summer life on the farm were waning these days and he had few other happy memories from which to draw upon.

As he drove, he really had no idea where he was heading neither physically nor in his life as a whole. His aunt had told him there was no room at the farm and he didn't want to stay in the pub. There would be far too many nosey villagers wanting to pry into his and Louisa's affairs.

One thing was certain: he knew that he was tired and that he'd have to stop soon. He came across a siding by the road and pulled over. Moving across to the passenger seat, he reclined the chair and pulled the collar up on his jacket before crossing his arms.

He hoped that sleep would take him quickly, but the reality of the matter was that he couldn't stop thinking about what Louisa would be doing now, how disappointed she would be in him for running away.

Never in all his life had he felt so torn about his future. Even when he'd been blighted by his blood phobia, he had soon formulated a plan and decided upon the way forward. How could this be so difficult now.

"You are a stupid fool. Why can't you ever do the right thing," he snapped at himself. He squeezed his eyelids tightly shut as he felt the first sting of tears forming in his eyes.

_To be continued…_


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N** - This is the final chapter and I have been eager to get it completed before the new series airs on 12th September. I'm afraid that I have had to succumb to the romantic in me. I know that they are probably never going to be together properly in the series, but they love each other so much that they really deserve a chance… don't you think? Thanks once again to Diane, my super beta and also thank you to everyone that has reviewed, it really does make a difference.

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><p><strong>Change of Heart<strong>

**Chapter 5**

Dishes washed and put away, baby bathed and settled, Louisa was quite proud of herself for having coped so well on her first night home from the hospital, but she was now undeniably shattered.

She switched off the lights downstairs and made her way up to the bedroom with the Moses basket. It was quite a struggle, and by the time she got upstairs all she wanted to do was collapse on the bed and get a good night's sleep.

Of course, she knew that would be impossible, as the baby was bound to wake her at least twice during the night. More if she was unlucky.

After placing him down on the bed, she went into the bathroom to carry out her bedtime routine. Face washed, teeth brushed and mouthwash used… twice. She then went back to the bedroom and lay down on the bed.

The baby murmured and she looked over the edge of the basket to see him wriggling around slightly before settling once again.

She'd told Martin in the hospital, during one of their spats, that she was glad that the baby didn't look like him. The truth of the matter was that he did look like his father. Louisa was glad. She always thought Martin was very distinguished looking and extremely handsome in her eyes. Her baby could do a lot worse than look like his father.

Where on earth had the stupid man gone? Louisa knew that Joan had no room on the farm and she also knew that his aunt was probably being particularly awkward about not letting him stay, even on the sofa, because she would be trying to get them to sort themselves out.

There was no way that Martin would stay at the pub; he'd rather sleep in the car than do that. Oh God, it suddenly dawned on her that's exactly what he was doing.

She couldn't feel any anger towards him, even though he had walked out on her and the baby on one of the most important nights that they were likely to have. She was shattered and could really have done with some support during the evening, but all she really felt towards him was pity. They had seemed so close in that moment in the bathroom. The feel of his skin on hers had made her feel desirable again. Even though she was still far from returning to her pre-pregnancy state, she had hopes now that she would be attractive again and that Martin already found her so.

How she wished he had carried on with the massage; it made her feel so relaxed and at ease. He really did have the most remarkable hands-big and strong, but soft and gentle at the same time. She could tell by the way that he touched her that he was enjoying the experience too.

Throughout their relationship, if you could call it that, she had always been the one to take the initiative. Never once had he really made any sort of romantic gesture. The fact that he was a gentleman when it came to their liaisons was extremely admirable, but it would have been nice just once in a while if he had actually tried to get into her knickers. The thought of Martin getting overly amorous made her giggle and she had to stop herself from laughing too loudly, just in case she woke the baby.

After dragging herself up from the bed, she barely had the energy to change into her pyjamas, but somehow she managed to throw them on and then she slipped under the duvet.

Thoughts of Martin continued to swirl around in her mind as she started to slowly drift off to sleep. Outside she could hear the water thrashing against the sea defences. The wind had picked up and it whistled eerily through the old wooden window frame. He would be freezing wherever he was and she wished that he was there with her so that they could keep each other warm.

Her eyelids flickered shut just as she thought she heard the sound of car wheels on gravel once again. But then the sound was gone and she banished the thought from her mind as sleep overcame her.

~x~

Martin's whole body jerked as he woke from what he could only describe as a nightmare. He was back in Edith's office and all he could hear had been Edith jeering at him, telling him that no one would ever want to be with him, that he would never be able to tell Louisa that he loved her because he was incapable of loving or of being loved.

As he looked around he felt disorientated and for a moment he wondered exactly where he was and why he was sleeping in his car. Then he remembered kneeling beside Louisa, stroking her back. He remembered the emotions that were building inside him and back came the feelings of guilt. He remembered fleeing from the cottage, his heart pounding at the thought of facing Louisa after having taken such liberties.

Recalling Louisa's sighs of satisfaction in the bath, he began to think that perhaps she _had_ enjoyed their intimacy. After all, she would have asked him to stop if she had found it disagreeable. Doubts now filled his mind as he slowly realised that he had misinterpreted the situation. He'd jumped to the conclusion that because he felt uncomfortable about what had happened, Louisa would have done so too.

"You can't even say that you love Louisa… what does that tell you?" He heard Edith's spiteful words once more.

"If I'm going to say that I love her, then I will say it to Louisa," had been his reply.

He rubbed his face and ran his fingers through his hair before pulling himself up in his seat and then shuffling across to the driver's side. It was now or never. If he didn't make a positive move now, then he would lose Louisa's trust and end up alone in London with his loved ones back in Cornwall.

Starting the engine, he knew what he needed to do. He turned on the headlights and set off back to Louisa's cottage.

~x~

Louisa's was roused by what she thought was the sound of knocking on the front door. She lay in bed uncertain that she had actually heard anything at all and as she started to drift back to sleep, she heard the sound of Martin's voice below her window.

"Louisa, Louisa, are you awake? I don't want to knock too hard on the door in case I wake the baby," Martin whispered as loudly as he could.

This time she knew that it was him; it _must_ have been his car that she had heard. She went over to the window and pulled it up. Below she saw Martin looking crumpled and certainly less than his usual pristine self.

"I'll come down," she said, still half asleep and closed the window.

As he stood by the door waiting for Louisa to open it, he felt the urge to run away as he had done once before when standing outside her door.

His heart started to race as he wondered exactly what he was going to say to her. He knew what he needed to say, but even he had to admit that he wasn't the best person at expressing his feelings. He nervously tapped his hands beside the pockets of his jacket and then suddenly Louisa appeared.

"Martin?" Louisa asked as she looked at him quizzically.

"Louisa, I…," his voice trailed off as his instincts took over. He stepped across the threshold and into the cottage. Taking Louisa's face gently between his hands, he kissed her deeply for several seconds and then slowly withdrawing, he looked into her eyes and said softly, "I love you."

"Oh, Martin," she sighed as she pulled him towards her and wrapped her arms around him. "I know why you ran away, but what was it that brought you back?"

"It was Edith," he whispered into her ear.

Louisa pushed him away slightly so that she could look at the expression on his face.

"Edith? I don't understand."

"When I saw her in the hospital, she told me that I didn't love you because I couldn't tell you." Martin pulled her back into him and squeezed her tightly in his arms. "Louisa, I have always loved you. From the moment I stared through the window of the school and saw you sitting there, I knew that I would never meet anyone as remarkable and as beautiful as you ever again."

They kissed once more, revelling in the taste and feel of each other's lips.

"My life is a mess, Louisa. I've ruined everything with you. Every time you've ever tried to make a go of it with me, I just cocked it up. And here I am, on the verge of running away for good."

Louisa guided Martin into the cottage and shut the door behind them.

"Just as you _ran away_ earlier, I was about to ask you to stay with us…just. until you make your decision about London, of course. I thought it would be nice for you to spend some time with your son."

"And with you," Martin added.

"Yes, Martin. It would be lovely for us to spend some time together." Louisa smiled at him warmly and gestured for them to sit down on the sofa.

"I'm sorry about before… you know, in the bathroom," Martin said nervously.

"What do you have to be sorry about? It's one of the most romantic things I think you've ever done, Martin."

"Really?"

"Yes. And I enjoyed it… a lot. You have very talented hands. Not just as a surgeon either," she teased.

He looked down to where her hands rested on her lap. He took her right hand between both of his and he rubbed it softly. Staring at their hands, he was shaken from his daydream by the sound of their baby son crying in the room above them.

"I better go and feed him. Why don't you come upstairs and I'll sort out the spare room for you after I'm done. You are going to stay, aren't you?" she looked at him hopefully.

"Yes, thank you. I'll just give you a few minutes to get settled with the baby."

Martin stepped outside to retrieve the only suitcase of clothes that he hadn't sent in the removal van. Thankfully it included some overnight things and he'd bought a few other items when he'd gone to collect Louisa's stuff from Mrs Tishell's.

As he locked up the car, he looked across to the surgery on the other side of the harbour. He saw the lights switch off and although he found it hard to admit to himself, he felt a pang of regret that he was no longer Portwenn's GP. If he had no job, then how could he possibly stay here and support Louisa and their baby.

The wind had certainly picked up and there was more than a slight chill that summer evening. Martin quickly went back into the cottage and locked the door behind him. He turned off the lights and made his way up the staircase.

Standing outside the bedroom door, he listened quietly as Louisa talked softly to the baby. These were the things that he would miss if he left Portwenn.

"You can come in, Martin." He heard Louisa say quietly.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you. Things…" he said as he gestured awkwardly towards Louisa's breast, "… seem to be going well."

"Yes, he's caught on quite quickly. I did worry at first that I wouldn't be able to breast feed, but it seems to be going as well as can be expected at the moment. I'm quite glad actually; my boobs have been killing me. They're enormous… don't you think, Martin?"

"Oh, um… I can't say I'd noticed actually," he said rather embarrassed and not at all convincingly. He started to blush quite noticeably as he had to admit to himself that he had actually acknowledged the fact that Louisa's breasts were at least twice the size that they normally were.

"Oh, Martin. Don't be such a prude. You must have seen hundreds of boobs during your time as a doctor."

"Of course I have. But I was never looking at them in the same way as I look at yours… erm - I mean, _looked_ at yours."

For Martin, this was almost an admission that he was actually a red-blooded male and had the same urges as any other man, something that was very hard to recognise in him normally.

Louisa giggled and the baby started to splutter slightly.

"Be careful, Louisa, you might make him sick or something."

"Stop worrying, he's fine. Just had enough that's all."

She adjusted herself and then handed the baby to Martin. "Here, you wind him for me whilst I go and sort some things out for you."

Martin held his son at arm's length for a moment and looked at him curiously. Then he held the tiny bundle to his shoulder and began to carefully rub his back. Before long Martin managed to extract a few good burps from his son, and just as the baby decided to bring a considerable amount of milk back up all over his shoulder, Louisa shouted through, "Oh, Martin. You might want to put one of those muslin cloths over your jacket."

"Yes, that might have been a good idea…. had I known about it earlier," he grumbled.

Louisa returned and saw the mess. She took the baby from him and put the little boy back in the basket.

"Here let me go and sponge that for you," she said as she went behind Martin and started to take the jacket from his shoulders. He shrugged it off and thanked her for taking it from him.

"There, it's not perfect but it'll do until you can get it to the dry cleaners."

"Thank you." Martin picked up his suitcase. "Maybe we should get settled now."

"Oh, yes. I made the bed up in the spare room. Will that be okay for you?" Louisa desperately wanted Martin to ask her if he could stay in her room, but if she were being realistic, she knew that he wouldn't do that. Neither did she want to frighten him off again by suggesting it, so she led him through to the other bedroom in the house.

Martin followed her reluctantly. He felt that he had been as open as he could be about his feelings for her and yet he couldn't go that one step further and ask her if he could sleep in the same bed as her. All he wanted was to be close to her, to feel her body next to his, to comfort her if she wanted him to and to be there for her.

Looking around the room, Martin nodded at Louisa. "Thank you, I'm sure this will be satisfactory."

"Fine, well, I'm quite tired so I think I'll say goodnight," Louisa yawned.

"Goodnight," he answered.

The door closed. Martin looked towards it, struggling with his feelings. He wanted to chase after her, to ask her permission to be with her, but he quickly changed his mind and set about unpacking his case.

Louisa turned and stared at the closed door. Her hand hovered at the door knob. She wanted to go back in and ask him to come with her, but she knew that it would be too much for him. However much she wanted his company that night, she would just have to bide her time until she felt that he was more comfortable with their situation.

~x~

Great howls of wind whistled through the window in the spare room. The curtains moved visibly as a cold draft drifted its way across the room towards the bed.

Martin pulled the bed clothes over him. If he had wanted to fall asleep quickly, he stood little chance. He cursed the fact that it was probably the coldest night he'd ever known for a July. He listened carefully to see if he could hear either Louisa or the baby, but all he heard was silence. Cursing, he realised that he'd missed his chance earlier. He thought he'd noticed Louisa hesitating as she left his room. That would have been the time to ask her. There was nothing else for it, he'd have to just turn over and try to go to sleep.

Louisa pulled her legs up as far as she could towards her. She still felt very vulnerable and sore. She listened quietly to see if she could hear Martin in the spare room. Alas, all she could hear was the storm outside. It had reached a crescendo and it sounded almost as if the waves were about to burst through the window.

At least the baby was sound asleep for the moment; she had to count her blessings for something. And so she pulled the duvet up to her chin and closed her eyes tightly in an effort to go quickly to sleep.

~x~

After spending at least 30 minutes staring into space and no nearer slumber, Martin finally made a monumental decision. He decided that his tactic earlier of surprising Louisa with his uncharacteristic boldness had worked well. Life was too short to pussy-foot around, now was the time for action.

He padded across the landing to Louisa's room and tapped gently on the door. There was no reply and so he knocked a little harder; still nothing. He cursed to himself but decided that he had come this far and he wasn't going to just give up and go back to bed. He opened the door slowly and looked over to where Louisa was curled up in bed. Quietly he walked over and sat down on the edge beside her.

"Louisa, are you awake," he said, gently rocking her shoulder.

"Ugh, Martin. I'd only just got to sleep. What's the matter?"

"I was wondering if I could… well, what I mean is - maybe it would be useful if I stayed in here with you and then if the baby wakes in the night, I could take my turn in seeing to him?"

"That's really thoughtful, Martin, thank you." She pulled back the duvet and tapped the bed beside her to welcome him in.

"There, that's better," she said, knowing full well that Martin had used an excuse to get into her bed. Not that she was complaining. She quite liked the new confident Martin Ellingham.

As a wicked grin crossed her lips, she turned to him and said," There's just one problem with you taking your turn during the night, Martin. You don't have any breasts!"

Martin looked at her in horror, and then when he saw that she was laughing and not at all offended by his excuse, he pulled her towards him and hugged her tightly.

"I love you, Doc Martin," she whispered into his neck, as he pulled the covers over them.

Neither one of them thought it was going to be easy, but maybe for the sake of their baby they could try and get along, even learn to tolerate one another's quirks.

As the storm continued to batter the harbour outside, they hoped that their future together would be far smoother than the raging sea below them.

~The End~


End file.
